Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same!

by Grace Lin

Overview

Ling and Ting are twins. They have the same brown eyes. They have the same pink cheeks. They have the same happy smiles.

Ling and Ting are two adorable identical twins, and they stick together, whether they are making dumplings, getting their hair cut, or practicing magic tricks. But looks are deceiving—people can be very different, even if they look exactly the same.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316024532
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/05/2011
Pages:	43
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	0390L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Grace Lin is the award-winning and bestselling author and illustrator of Starry River of the Sky, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, The Year of the Dog, The Year of the Rat, Dumpling Days, and Ling & Ting, as well as picture books such as The Ugly Vegetables and Dim Sum for Everyone! Grace is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and lives in Massachusetts. Her website is www.gracelin.com.

Editorial Reviews

While there are some excellent books with modern Asian-American characters for older children, there are very few in the early-reader category. Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same! is a fine addition to the shelf. Even the youngest children should find themselves drawn along to the next page by engaging stories that unfold illustration by illustration…perfect for the young reader not ready to give up pictures. And while there may be little new ground to break about twins, there is something satisfying in the symmetry of these sisters and in their effortless individuality. They remind us that apparent uniformity yields to originality when we give it the attention it deserves.
—The New York Times

Helen T. Verongos

Twins will find endearing advocates in Ling and Ting, Chinese-American twins who good-naturedly defy people's assumptions that they are interchangeable. "We are not exactly the same," Ling replies to this common comment. "Ting laughs because she is thinking exactly the same thing!" Six entertaining tales are blithesome slices of life that exemplify their uniqueness and companionability. In the first, Ting and Ling get haircuts, but "Ling can always sit still. Snip! Clip! The barber cuts Ling's hair in a smooth line." Not so with Ting, who wiggles, sneezes, and ends up with an asymmetrical hairdo that unquestionably sets her apart. Each scenario--ranging from making dumplings to giggling over card tricks gone wrong--is captured in framed, photo-sized illustrations with old-fashioned charm. The girls wear identical, feminine dresses, again challenging the reader to look beyond exteriors. The final tale, a fantasy spun by Ting, tells of spurning a king who cannot decide which of them to marry: " ‘But the twins told the king to go away. They were not exactly the same,' Ting says, ‘but they always stayed together.' " Ages 6-9. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Ling and Ting are identical twins who seem to be exactly the same. They dress alike, play together, and enjoy each other's company. Sometimes, the two sisters even think the same. However, after the trip to the barber to get haircuts, you'll be able to tell the two girls apart. Find out what some of the other differences are by reading about their adventures which are captured in six simple stories. Who is antsy when sitting in a chair, who makes tight dumplings, and who comes up with wild solutions for problems? The sisterly banter between the twins reminds me of the friendship between Frog and Toad in Lobel's series. There are fun twists and amusing endings to each story about Ling and Ting. The last story has an interesting way of drawing elements of all the stories together. There are bright and colorful illustrations are found throughout the book; the pictures support the story. Reviewer: Carrie Hane Hung

Children's Literature - Carrie Hane Hung

Gr 2—Lin brings her talents to these charming stories about Chinese-American twins who like to stick together but are not as alike as everyone thinks. The six short chapters are the perfect length for beginning readers. In the first story, the girls get haircuts. Ting "moves her legs and her fingers. Ting can never sit still." When her snipped hair falls on her nose, she sneezes and the barber cuts a little too much off her bangs. The simple illustrations follow this mishap throughout the book, making the sisters easily identifiable. In the other vignettes, Ling and Ting make very different dumplings, Ling cannot eat with chopsticks no matter how hard Ting tries to teach her, and they visit the library. Each story ends with an amusing punch line that will make readers laugh. The last chapter ties all of the tales together, showing the fun and friendship that the girls share. This relationship, combined with the simple sentence structure, repetitive text, and straightforward illustrations that reinforce new vocabulary words, will put this easy reader in the same category as Arnold Lobel's "Frog and Toad" books (HarperCollins).—Kristine M. Casper, Huntington Public Library, NY

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